001). Although significant associations were found between ambient temperature, selleckchem atmospheric pressure and hours of sunshine vis-A-vis monthly urinary calculi attack rates for the total population, after adjustment for trends and seasonality, ambient temperature was found to be the sole major factor having

any positive association with the monthly attack rates.

Conclusions: We conclude that seasonal variations do exist in the monthly urinary calculi attack rates for all age and gender populations, and that following time series statistical adjustment, only ambient temperature had any consistent association with monthly attack rates.”
“The hepatic transporter Mdr2 is an ATP-binding cassette transporter which excretes phosphatidylcholine into the bile. We showed that the level of Mdr2 mRNA oscillated in circadian fashion in mouse liver whereas such oscillation HKI272 was dampened in the liver of Clock mutants. To examine transcriptional regulation of the Mdr2 gene we performed luciferase reporter assays using plasmid constructs containing the 5′-flanking region of the Mdr2 gene. Reporter assays using deletion constructs demonstrated that E4BP4 represses the transcriptional activity of the promoter including the D1 and D2 sites within four putative E4BP4-binding sites. Chromatin

immunoprecipitation and gel shift assays showed that E4BP4 binds to the D2 site, but not to the D1 site. These data suggested that E4BP4 is a negative transcription factor for circadian Mdr2 mRNA expression. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose: Recent studies have suggested an increased prevalence of urolithiasis and recurrence associated with obesity. We assessed the influence of obesity on stone risk factors as well as on stone recurrence.

Materials and Methods: A database of patient history, body mass index, and serum and urine chemistry was analyzed for 704 consecutive stone formers (467 first time stone formers

and 247 recurrent stone formers). Obesity was defined as body mass index greater than 25 kg/m(2). The effect of obesity on stone risk factors and recurrence were stratified Crenolanib ic50 according to stone episodes. Of these, 163 (23.2%) patients who had been followed for more than 36 months (median 54, range 5 to 148) were included in recurrence analysis.

Results: Obesity was significantly associated with stone episodes (p = 0.043). Obese stone formers excreted increased amounts of sodium, calcium, uric acid and citrate, while the urinary pH in a 24-hour urine sample was decreased compared to nonobese stone formers (p < 0.05, respectively). Stone analysis revealed that uric acid stone was significantly more commonly found in the obese patients (p = 0.046). Multivariate Cox regression model stratified by stone episodes revealed that obesity (HR 2.572, 95% CI 1.376-4.807, p = 0.